The present invention relates to an albuterol inhalation solution, system, kit and method for relieving symptoms associated with asthma in children.
Asthma is a pulmonary disease marked by (1) labored breathing; (2) wheezing; and (3) coughing. Asthma is characterized by: (1) airway inflammation; (2) airway hyperresponsiveness; and (3) airway obstruction (or airway narrowing) that is partially or completely reversible, either spontaneously or with treatment. Common symptoms of asthma include wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and a persistent cough. The severity of the symptoms vary widely from patient to patient, and even from one episode (attack) to the next.
A key condition of asthma is chronic inflammation of the linings of the lungs. This inflammation is associated with an increase in airway sensitivity (hyperresponsiveness) to stimuli such as allergens, irritants, cold air and viruses. When exposed to these triggers, the linings undergo an allergic reaction, causing spasms that constrict the airways. This bronchoconstriction, in combination with edema and the release of thickened secretions, reduces movement of air through the lungs, resulting in the symptoms commonly associated with asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic lung disease in children. Asthma prevalence in children has reportedly increased in the United States by 160%. Asthma hospitalization rates are also higher in young children due, in part, to difficulties in using currently available drug delivery devices and failure to use optimal doses of asthma therapies.
Despite progress in emergency and critical care medicine, the pediatric mortality rate from asthma ranges from 0.2 to 0.4 per 100,00 population, depending on age. Pediatric asthma ranks as the 7th leading cause of death among children ages 10 to 14 years. Approximately 0.05% of known children with asthma die annually from the disease.
Short-acting inhaled beta-agonists, such as albuterol, are the first choice treatment for relieving symptoms of acute asthma in children. Albuterol is currently available as a 2.5 mg unit dose (0.083%) inhalation solution for use in nebulizers. Although this dose has been approved for use by adults, the FDA has recently expanded labeling guidelines to include this amount of albuterol for use by pediatric asthmatic patients as young as 2 years old. However, when administered on a regular basis to a child, the 2.5 mg formulation may provide more albuterol than needed, thereby increasing the risk of adverse drug effects.
In the recently revised guidelines for asthma treatment, the National Institutes of Health recommended that pediatric patients use the lowest beta-agonist doses needed to control symptoms. However, using lower doses of albuterol in patients under age 12 to reduce the risk of side effects necessitates dilution of currently available asthma medications. This poses several problems because parents, care givers, teachers and others typically do not have adequate experience diluting these medications, resulting in contamination or inappropriate dosing, among other problems.
Also, antimicrobial preservatives, such as benzalkonium chloride (BAC), are often present in inhalation solutions used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The presence of BAC in these solutions generally does not affect the short-term (single dose) bronchodilator response. However, case reports suggest that repeated use of asthma treatments with BAC may result in paradoxic bronchoconstriction. When inhaled by asthmatic subjects, BAC may also cause dose-dependent bronchoconstriction. Despite these side effects, many commercially available albuterol inhalation solutions contain BAC.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved albuterol inhalation solution, system, kit and method for relieving symptoms associated with pediatric asthma.
One object of the present invention is to provide an albuterol inhalation solution for the relief of bronchospasm in children with asthma. Another object of the present invention is to provide a prepackaged, sterile, premixed, premeasured, reduced-dosage albuterol inhalation solution for the relief of bronchospasm in patients 2 to 12 years of age with asthma.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an antimicrobial preservative-free albuterol inhalation solution to relieve bronchospasm in a pediatric patient with asthma.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of administering an albuterol inhalation formulation for relief of bronchospasm associated with pediatric asthma.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a kit or system for relief of bronchospasm in a pediatric patient with asthma.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a process for making an inhalation solution for relief of bronchospasm in a pediatric patient with asthma.
Another object of the invention includes a device for use in relieving bronchospasm in a pediatric patient with asthma.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following detailed description of the invention and accompanying drawings.